Prescriptive Grammar- It’s a way of explaining how language should or should not be used but not necessarily describing the way in which it’s used. For example, if I were asked to write a short paragraph describing myself for my boss and one to my friends, I would use a different choice of words and messages I was trying to get across.
Head of phrase- Contains the word that determines the syntactic phrase functions such as noun phrase prepositional phrase etc. For example, in the phrase the house, it is clear that the house is the head of the phrase.
Determiner- refers to the word that is used before the noun that helps the reader understands if the sentence is describing something specific or in general. For example, in the phrase the doctor the determiner is describing something specific, yet in the phrase his patients the word is being used to describe something in general.
Grammatical (well-formed)-Are sentences that use words and their relationships togethercorrectly in order to get the meaning across. For example, the sentence that dog is not cute is considered a grammatically correct sentence.
Ungrammatical (ill-formed)When a sentence is considered Ungrammatical the words are in order, which does not follow the syntactic rules of grammar.For example, with regards to this sentence, that dog not cute it is considered Ungrammatical.
Syntax: The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. The rules and order of making sentences and sentence structure. http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/syntax.htm Donna Hughes
Syntax
is a level of grammar that refers to the arrangement of words and morphemes in the construction of sentences. I like the example from the video we watched on Monday (June 13) which asked people to describe a balloon that was red, as well as big. The sentence that was produced by every interviewee was "a big, red balloon," opposed to a red, big balloon. The way we construct sentences and the words we choose to use (for example, instead of another choice of words) is so interesting. Here is a poem that I found on youtube that I thought would be a great way to show syntax.
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Syntax refers to the arrangement of words and morphemes in sentence construction. For example, “The dog ate the bone” is syntactically correct and “The dog the bone” is not. For more information on syntax view this website: http://synex.tumblr.com/ Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Descriptive grammar
refers to the subconscious rules about grammar and syntax that one uses to combine smaller units into sentences. Linguists, when studying syntax are more interested in the knowledge of language that people possess about the language they speak. So while it may be grammatically correct to say I did well, a descriptivist is more interested in the generally accepted I did good, which is often used in language. Here is a link to a sight which debates the pros and cons of the descriptive and prescriptive opinions. Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Prescriptive grammar
refers to the concept that there is a correct and and incorrect way to speak, write, or sign. I think I might be in-between theories in regards to how I feel. While I do believe there is a way to write that is more conducive for communication, these rules do not often translate well to speech. For example, when writing a company memo, you want to be to the point, precise, and clear about what you are trying to tell your employees, co-workers, etc. The message needs to be direct but understood by everyone who is reading the memo. However, we might change our language and the way we convey the exact same message when we are speaking to someone personally, because we know how they best understand messages. Here is an example of prescriptive grammar in practice. UCLA LINGUISTICS
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011. Constituents
the units being combined to create larger syntactic constructions; the main constituents being a subject and a predicate. We all might be more familiar with the term parts of speech rather than constituents. This link shows an example that not only breaks a sentence into subject and predicate but also into the ultimate constituents. http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAConstituent.htm
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Simple sentence
is a sentence that contains only one subject and one predicate. For example: I eat bananas contains I as the subject and eat bananas as the predicate. I'm sure the educators in the class might enjoy this link. It is a web site that has free worksheets on it, some of them are helpful for students who are learning the simple sentence. http://www.a-z-worksheets.com/simple-sentences.html
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Sentence (Rowe and Levine)- a string of words that is grammatically complete wit at least two components, a subject and a predicate. The website listed below assists students in sentence building. www.eduplace.com/cgi-bin/hme-quiz-start.cgi?Grade=2&Unit=1&Topic=The+Sentence&x=39&y=12 (Kathy Sullivan)
Subject in a sentence it is what a sentence is about. The subject is the topic of the sentence. (wikipedia) The following youtube video demonstrates subject matter is a sentence. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGZPieO9ZI (Kathy Sullivan)
Predicate The predicate is one of the two main parts of a sentence. It is the part of the sentence that makes a comment or assertion about the topic of the sentence. Watch this song about the parts of a sentence; this could be a good resource to show students in a classroom. The video uses a song to describe the parts of a sentence while text is also shown simultaneously to show examples. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGZPieO9ZI&feature=fvst By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Compound sentence- (Rowe and Levine) simple sentences that are joined with a coordinating conjunction. For example, the boy and the girl went to the zoo. A game that my students love to play that assist in developing, creating and building compounding sentences is Magnetic Word Sentences. I have a variety of sentence strips with magnets on the back. Students combine two of the sentences to form a compound sentence by inserting a magnetic coordinating conjunction. (Kathy Sullivan) Compound sentences is made up of two simple sentences (one subject and one predicate) joined by a coordinating conjunction such as, and, or, nor, so or but. The sentences may also be joined together by punctuation. An example of a compound sentence is: She went to the store and he went to the library. For an exercise on compound sentences, view this website: http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/e42f0742452027ba852569f5005c1c0d?opendocument Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Dependent clause Dependent clause-In the book states that have a subject and a predicate but cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. I ask to my students what you did over the weekend and his answer was: If I was walking to the park, instead of saying I went walking in the park. Another example is when a teacher said” even though we earn our party points” he means even thought the class earn the points for the party we can still change our mind depending in your behavior. In this website it shows examples of dependent clauses. By Araceli Rodriguez June 15 http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/handout-independent-and-dependent-clauses.php
Complex sentence- a sentence with one independent clause and at least on dependent clause (wikipedia). An example of a complex sentence would be “Although it is raining, we will still go to the zoo”. In my classroom I try to teach my students to use complex sentences in their writing assignments. One way we practice building complex sentences is through sentence starters. I put the beginning of the complex sentence on the board, (ie. Whenever Sally comes over, or even though we can’t go out for recess,) and the students share out a verbal responses. (Kathy Sullivan)
Compound-complex sentence: sentence has two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Obviously in order to teach this concept one would need to introduce to the students what a compound sentence is on its own as well as a complex sentence. A great way of getting them to distinguish between the different types of sentences is to have them label the sentences where they are pulling out the independent clauses and the dependent clauses. Or, another way of getting the students to learn is by having them practice with this worksheet I found on this website. Since I am doing secondary instruction I choose a worksheet for grades 6-12 however you can choose whatever level you feel your students are at.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Passive voice: One of the two "voices" of verbs. A verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb. Example- The ball was thrown by the pitcher. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/passive+voice www.write.armstrong.edu/handouts/PassiveVoiceExercises.pdf Donna Hughes Passive voice is a classification for a type of sentence used in the English language. In passive voice sentences, the subject receives the action of the verb. Passive voice sentences are usually very wordy. For example, “The volleyball was hit by Sarah.” Sarah receives the action of the volleyball. For an exercise on how to revise passive voice sentences, view this website: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/passive_quiz.htm Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Active voice:
ac·tive voice
the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb; "`The boy threw the ball' uses the active voice". More » wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwnSource Wikipedia - Dictionary.com - Answers.com - The Free Dictionary Donna Hughes
Active voice is a classification for a type of sentence used in the English language. In active voice sentences, the grammatical subject of the verb carries out an activity or purpose. For example, “Sarah hit the volleyball.” Sarah is carrying out the action by hitting the volleyball. For an exercise on identifying active and passive voice sentences, view this website: http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-voice_quiz.htm Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Complements: To combine well with something, often something that has different qualities. Use in a sentence- The plants are chosen to complement each other. Note- Color theory/ term COMPLEMENT refers to the opposite hue on the standard color wheel, such as the pair- blue and orange. http://www.vimeo.com/16228411 http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/complement Donna Hughes
Sentence- a sentence is a string of words that is grammatically complete with at least two components, a subject and a predicate. (Levine, Rowe, 113). Attached is a link describing sentences and provided a little information on the four different structures of sentences. http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/sentence-structure.html (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Predicate- The predicate of a sentence is a comment or assertion made about a topic. (Levine, Rowe, 113). Meg and her dog {run up the hill every morning}. The Predicate is within the brackets. (Alison Winkler, June 15).
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Predicate-typically describes a property of the person or thing referred to by the subject, or describes a situation in which this person or thing plays some role. The predicate sentence needs to complement the subject because if you are missing the subject the predicate will not make any sense by itself. This website states a few examples of predicate.
Determiner- A determiner is a word that is used before a noun to indicate whether the noun refers to something that is specific in general. (Levine, Rowe). Determiners are words like the, an, my, some. This link describes determiners and also provides a determiners quiz. http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-determiners.htm (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Noun phrase- A noun phrase compromises the noun and any associated modifiers. (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Dependent clause- A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but doesn’t express a complete thought. Dependent clauses cannot be a sentence. When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/598/01/ (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Noun phrase
Noun Phrase-in the book said that can function in a sentence as the subject, direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition. The book gives really good examples of noun phrases; Julian mailed a letter, Julian is a noun phrase and the subject of the sentence. Another example; is a Mary ate the hamburger. Mary is the subject of the sentence. This website shows some examples of noun phrases. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4HsJVTAxdo By Araceli Rodriguez June 15
Determiner
A determiner is a word used before a noun to indicate whether the noun refers to something that is specific or general. I found this nice website where it breaks down what this concept means and examples of its usage. Teaching grammar can be tricky so it’s always great to use outside sources to further exemplify what you are trying to teach. One way to incorporate the usage of this is to have students break off into pairs and try to find determiners in their peers’ paper!
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Verb phrase A verb phrase is a type of head of a phrase which is what determines the syntactic or phrasal category of that phrase. A verb phrase will begin with a verb. Watch this video where a teacher has put sentences up for students to view, they are to circle the verb phrase. You can see how he uses this as a lesson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gESELR_dgQ This next website give some flash cards of verb phrases. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S13L3pc3Ttg&feature=related By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Adjective phrase
Prepositional phrase prepositional phrase- (Rowe and Levine)- a phrase headed by a preposition. It can function to modify a noun phrase or a verb phrase.The attached link is a great practice site for students to learn prepositional phrases http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/la-grammar.html (Kathy Sullivan)
Prepositional phrases is a phrase headed by a preposition, such as over, above, under, etc. Prepositional phrases include noun phrases. Examples of prepositional phrases are: into the store, above the stove, from Illinois. For more information on prepositional phrases, view this website: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/preposition.htm This site also contains exercises on grammar.
Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Case Case- Rowe & Levine defines Rowe as the function of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives within a sentence and the relationship of these words to the verbs and others words in a sentence. Wikipedia shows great examples some of them are; I kicked the ball, and john kicked me.
Lexical ambiguity- Lexical ambiguity- refers to the situation in which a word or phrase can refer to more than one meaning. Example- usually often consciously used to forms puns, such as-Fish are really smart. They are found in schools.
Structural ambiguity Structural (or syntactic) ambiguity is where the words or phrases (constituents) of a sentence can be rearranged to form different meaning. Sometimes the intended meaning of the sentence can be overlooked for a different meaning. This website gives some examples of actual newspaper headlines that have structural ambiguity (may also show lexical or syntactic). This type of ambiguity can often lead to confusion or a humorous outcome. http://www.criticism.com/linguistics/types-of-ambiguity.php By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Part-of-speech ambiguity
Lexicon
Lexicon- the Merriam Webster dictionary describes Lexicon as a vocabulary of a language, an individual speaker or group of speakers, or a subject. For example, I have my own vocabulary because I speak Spanish and I have all the words in that specific language. In this video shows how a lexicon is defined. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g_3VhFysy4 By Araceli Rodriguez June 15
Co-occurrence restriction
Phrase marker A phrase marker is basically a representation, especially one in the form of a tree diagram, that of the constituent structure of a sentence. I found this cool website where it can translate phrase markers into whatever language you like. It’s really breaks down the process for you too.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Phrase marker- A tree diagram that specifies the function of each constituent of an utterance. Example-The art student looked at a very beautiful painting. A phrase marker includes the former sentence and above those words is the diagram that identifies the parts of speech-see page 134 the example. Link-http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/live/phrase-maker-tool/tool.html Patty Wagner
Node
A node is a labeled point in a tree which represents a constituent of the sentence represented by the tree. You can't really make out the words in this diagram however it would be awesome to fill in the spaces with this structure because it looks really cool. Personally, I do not remember learning this concept in school or even in college, until now that is, however whenever I am introduced to a new concept I am always trying to think of ways to teach it to my students.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Phrase structure rules
Phrase structure rules: specify how constituents of an utterance are arranged and what constituents can occur as a part of other constituents (the hierarchical structure of a sentence). Sometimes drawing diagrams really help a student understand the format of a concept and how it needs to be arranged. This is why I looked into this powerpoint about phrase structures because it simplifies the concept along with the aid of visuals which can completely help a student understand.
Nena Awad 6/15/11 Generative grammar
A generative grammar: is a finite set of rules that could hypothetically produce (generate) an infinite number of utterances. This is something Noam Chomsky analyzed with human language and how it is developed. This concept is rather interesting because it provokes one to question how these rules derived and how are we able to process it. What I did find is a video of this young lady who happens to disagree with Chomsky’s theory on generative grammar in which I thought her views were also interesting as well. I guess my suggestion is to see both sides and you determine which one you are on! Enjoy.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Recursion Recursion is a property of language that allows a person to use the same rule multiple times in one sentence to create very long sentences and an infinite number of different sentences. I am giving the link to a video from an introduction to psychology class at Yale where a man comes in to give an introduction to the study of language. It’s a pretty long video but he discusses recursion in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf9tlbMckS0 By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Recursion- Allows one type of syntactic structure to be included inside another structure of the same type, such as a noun phrase, to create infinitely long sentences or an infinite number of different sentences. Example- The boy that chased the dog that chased the cat that chased the squirrel that chased the bird that chased the bug. Link-http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/patterns/recursion.html Patty Wagner Surface structure Surface structure-An actual utterance that can be broken down by conventional methods of syntactic analysis. Example-What the speaker is actually says Link-http://www.textetc.com/theory/chomskian-linguistics.html Patty Wagner Deep structure The deep structure of a sentence is the abstract level of a sentence that represents the basic meaning of a sentence. For example a surface structure would look something like this: This ball, I can hit. And the deep structure of the sentence would look like: I can hit this ball. Click this link to read a short article about Basic English Sentence Structure. This article will help to explain what the deep structure of a sentence is. It also gives examples of different ways to structure a sentence. http://www.speak-read-write.com/grammar1.html By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Deep structure- Refers to a highly abstract level of language that represents the basic meaning of a sentence.
Example-The human mind is like a software program designed to generate new sentences on demand.
Verbal particles
A verbal particle is a member of a closed class of particles which co-occur with some verbs to form phrasal verbs. In some languages, verbal particles are identical to certain adpositions. Although there are many different types of participles, I found a website that showcases the different types with really easy examples. Considering there are many different types, including verbal, I think this concept would be a nice one to formulate a game on it for the students. For instance, posting phrases all over the room and breaking the students up into groups where they have to identify which phrase belongs in which category. Just a thought.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Topicalization
Optional transformations
Obligatory transformations Sentence - According to our text, a sentence is a string of words that is grammatically complete with at least two components, a subject and a predicate. While teaching my 6th grade students getting them to put their thoughts into sentences was difficult. Many of them did not even know what a subject of a sentence was so this is something I knew had to be taught to them (which actually helped many of them with their speaking). In order to do this I would start with basic sentences which would help the students to notice the subject and predicate. After they mastered the concept of a subject and predicate I noticed a difference not only in their writing but also in the way that they spoke with other people. http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=125046 Stephanie Signore - June 15
Dependent Clause -According to our text, a dependent clause has a subject and predicate but cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. It depends on an independent clause to make it complete. - “Whoever makes the best speech will get my vote.” In this sentence the dependent clause would be “Whoever makes the best speech…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvk_jy4VxIE Stephanie Signore - June 15
Noun phrase - According to our textbook, a noun phrase does the work of a noun. The example from the text states “Julian mailed a letter.” Julian serves as the noun phrase and subject. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iewdl2j4q4k Stephanie Signore - June 15
Sentence- According to Rowe and Levine, a sentence is a string of words that is grammatically compete with at least two components, a subject and a predicate. I’m not sure what to say for an example except for the fact that everyone, no matter what language, no matter how old, we all form some type of sentence. The following clip is a short video of a guy explaining what a sentence is and its components http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxsKgV2fFk8 .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Predicate- According to Rowe and Levine, a predicate of a sentences is a comment or assertion made about the topic. The following link is a worksheet from Super Teacher Worksheets. It is a PDF so if you need it for your classroom you are able to print it out, complete with an answer sheet http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/subjectpredicate/simple-predicate.pdf . The following link is a short video from School House Rock singing about subjects and predicates with the help of Mr. Morton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdUXxdmhIsw .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Dependent Clause- According to Rowe and Levine, a dependent clause has a subject and predicate but cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. It depends on an independent clause to make it complete. This excerpt is borrowed from OWL and explains, as well as gives an example of a dependent clause [When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.)] The following clip is of a teacher explaining what a dependent clause is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGw64ENglS0 .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Noun Phrase- According to Rowe and Levine, a noun phrase, often called a nominal phrase, does the work of a noun. It can function in a sentence as the subject, direct object, indirect object and object of a preposition. The following example is borrowed from UsingEnglish.com
[EG: John was late. ('John' is the noun phrase functioning as the subject of the verb.) EG: The people that I saw coming in the building at nine o'clock have just left. ('The people ... nine o'clock' is a lengthy noun phrase, but it functions as the subject of the main verb 'have just left'.)].
The following clip is a short excerpt of a lesson taught on noun phrases, the full lesson can be found on the Mind Bites website http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4HsJVTAxdo .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Determiner- According to Rowe and Levine, a determiner is a word used before a noun to indicate whether the noun refers to something that is specific or general. The following website lists many determiners as well as how they should be used in the English language http://www.wordpower.ws/grammar/gramch20.html.
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Adjective phrase is aphrase that collectively modifies or describes a noun or pronoun and which can usually be used both attributively and predicatively, can be graded, and be modified by an adverb.**http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adjective_phrase**EX: That house down the block is a hideous shade of red, The road tarred on Thursday is the one we need to take
Topicalization is the emphasis placed on the topic or focus of a sentence by proposing it to the beginning of the sentence; placing the topic at the beginning of the sentence is typical for English. EX) 'Those girls, they giggle when they see me' and 'Cigarettes, you couldn't pay me to smoke them'.**http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/topicalization.htm**. Here is a video of a woman doing sign language and there are some examples of topicalization:**http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT6gTuWpJTQ**
Simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought.**http://www.eslbee.com/sentences.htm**
EX
Some students like to study in the mornings.B. Juan and Arturo play football every afternoon.C. Alicia goes to the library and studies every day
Prescriptive Grammar- It’s a way of explaining how language should or should not be used but not necessarily describing the way in which it’s used. For example, if I were asked to write a short paragraph describing myself for my boss and one to my friends, I would use a different choice of words and messages I was trying to get across.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eIARuH0-x4Y/Sv8shyMcHOI/AAAAAAAABCc/BbnTdguSK7s/s400/grammar+signs.gif
Head of phrase- Contains the word that determines the syntactic phrase functions such as noun phrase prepositional phrase etc. For example, in the phrase the house, it is clear that the house is the head of the phrase.
http://languagetools.info/grammarpedia/images/garden.gif
Determiner- refers to the word that is used before the noun that helps the reader understands if the sentence is describing something specific or in general. For example, in the phrase the doctor the determiner is describing something specific, yet in the phrase his patients the word is being used to describe something in general.
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-determiners_quiz.htm
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/EGG-Determiner.svg/350px-EGG-Determiner.svg.png
Grammatical (well-formed)-Are sentences that use words and their relationships togethercorrectly in order to get the meaning across. For example, the sentence that dog is not cute is considered a grammatically correct sentence.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Cgisf-tgg.png
Ungrammatical (ill-formed)When a sentence is considered Ungrammatical the words are in order, which does not follow the syntactic rules of grammar.For example, with regards to this sentence, that dog not cute it is considered Ungrammatical.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-29qwSB1RSG8/Td0CowNwPFI/AAAAAAAAAUg/TM9XvsrOnxg/s1600/smart+sleeptalking.jpg
Key Concepts
Syntax: The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. The rules and order of making sentences and sentence structure.
http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/syntax.htm Donna Hughes
Syntax
is a level of grammar that refers to the arrangement of words and morphemes in the construction of sentences. I like the example from the video we watched on Monday (June 13) which asked people to describe a balloon that was red, as well as big. The sentence that was produced by every interviewee was "a big, red balloon," opposed to a red, big balloon. The way we construct sentences and the words we choose to use (for example, instead of another choice of words) is so interesting. Here is a poem that I found on youtube that I thought would be a great way to show syntax.
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Syntax refers to the arrangement of words and morphemes in sentence construction. For example, “The dog ate the bone” is syntactically correct and “The dog the bone” is not. For more information on syntax view this website: http://synex.tumblr.com/
Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Descriptive grammar
refers to the subconscious rules about grammar and syntax that one uses to combine smaller units into sentences. Linguists, when studying syntax are more interested in the knowledge of language that people possess about the language they speak. So while it may be grammatically correct to say I did well, a descriptivist is more interested in the generally accepted I did good, which is often used in language. Here is a link to a sight which debates the pros and cons of the descriptive and prescriptive opinions. Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Prescriptive grammar
refers to the concept that there is a correct and and incorrect way to speak, write, or sign. I think I might be in-between theories in regards to how I feel. While I do believe there is a way to write that is more conducive for communication, these rules do not often translate well to speech. For example, when writing a company memo, you want to be to the point, precise, and clear about what you are trying to tell your employees, co-workers, etc. The message needs to be direct but understood by everyone who is reading the memo. However, we might change our language and the way we convey the exact same message when we are speaking to someone personally, because we know how they best understand messages. Here is an example of prescriptive grammar in practice.
UCLA LINGUISTICS
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Constituents
the units being combined to create larger syntactic constructions; the main constituents being a subject and a predicate. We all might be more familiar with the term parts of speech rather than constituents. This link shows an example that not only breaks a sentence into subject and predicate but also into the ultimate constituents.
http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAConstituent.htm
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Simple sentence
is a sentence that contains only one subject and one predicate. For example: I eat bananas contains I as the subject and eat bananas as the predicate. I'm sure the educators in the class might enjoy this link. It is a web site that has free worksheets on it, some of them are helpful for students who are learning the simple sentence.
http://www.a-z-worksheets.com/simple-sentences.html
By: Molly Caldera
06.15.2011.
Sentence (Rowe and Levine)- a string of words that is grammatically complete wit at least two components, a subject and a predicate. The website listed below assists students in sentence building.
www.eduplace.com/cgi-bin/hme-quiz-start.cgi?Grade=2&Unit=1&Topic=The+Sentence&x=39&y=12
(Kathy Sullivan)
Subject in a sentence it is what a sentence is about. The subject is the topic of the sentence. (wikipedia) The following youtube video demonstrates subject matter is a sentence. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGZPieO9ZI (Kathy Sullivan)
Predicate
The predicate is one of the two main parts of a sentence. It is the part of the sentence that makes a comment or assertion about the topic of the sentence. Watch this song about the parts of a sentence; this could be a good resource to show students in a classroom. The video uses a song to describe the parts of a sentence while text is also shown simultaneously to show examples. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGZPieO9ZI&feature=fvst
By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Compound sentence- (Rowe and Levine) simple sentences that are joined with a coordinating conjunction. For example, the boy and the girl went to the zoo. A game that my students love to play that assist in developing, creating and building compounding sentences is Magnetic Word Sentences. I have a variety of sentence strips with magnets on the back. Students combine two of the sentences to form a compound sentence by inserting a magnetic coordinating conjunction. (Kathy Sullivan)
Compound sentences is made up of two simple sentences (one subject and one predicate) joined by a coordinating conjunction such as, and, or, nor, so or but. The sentences may also be joined together by punctuation. An example of a compound sentence is: She went to the store and he went to the library.
For an exercise on compound sentences, view this website: http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/e42f0742452027ba852569f5005c1c0d?opendocument
Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Dependent clause
Dependent clause-In the book states that have a subject and a predicate but cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. I ask to my students what you did over the weekend and his answer was: If I was walking to the park, instead of saying I went walking in the park. Another example is when a teacher said” even though we earn our party points” he means even thought the class earn the points for the party we can still change our mind depending in your behavior. In this website it shows examples of dependent clauses. By Araceli Rodriguez June 15
http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/handout-independent-and-dependent-clauses.php
Complex sentence- a sentence with one independent clause and at least on dependent clause (wikipedia). An example of a complex sentence would be “Although it is raining, we will still go to the zoo”. In my classroom I try to teach my students to use complex sentences in their writing assignments. One way we practice building complex sentences is through sentence starters. I put the beginning of the complex sentence on the board, (ie. Whenever Sally comes over, or even though we can’t go out for recess,) and the students share out a verbal responses. (Kathy Sullivan)
Compound-complex sentence:
sentence has two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Obviously in order to teach this concept one would need to introduce to the students what a compound sentence is on its own as well as a complex sentence. A great way of getting them to distinguish between the different types of sentences is to have them label the sentences where they are pulling out the independent clauses and the dependent clauses. Or, another way of getting the students to learn is by having them practice with this worksheet I found on this website. Since I am doing secondary instruction I choose a worksheet for grades 6-12 however you can choose whatever level you feel your students are at.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Passive voice: One of the two "voices" of verbs. A verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb.
Example- The ball was thrown by the pitcher.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/passive+voice
www.write.armstrong.edu/handouts/PassiveVoiceExercises.pdf Donna Hughes
Passive voice is a classification for a type of sentence used in the English language. In passive voice sentences, the subject receives the action of the verb. Passive voice sentences are usually very wordy. For example, “The volleyball was hit by Sarah.” Sarah receives the action of the volleyball. For an exercise on how to revise passive voice sentences, view this website: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/passive_quiz.htm
Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Active voice:
ac·tive voice
the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb; "`The boy threw the ball' uses the active voice". More »wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn Source
Wikipedia - Dictionary.com - Answers.com - The Free Dictionary Donna Hughes
Active voice is a classification for a type of sentence used in the English language. In active voice sentences, the grammatical subject of the verb carries out an activity or purpose. For example, “Sarah hit the volleyball.” Sarah is carrying out the action by hitting the volleyball. For an exercise on identifying active and passive voice sentences, view this website: http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-voice_quiz.htm
Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Phrase: Any small group of words within a sentence or a clause.
http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/phrase.htm
http://vimeo.com/6983558 Donna Hughes
Head of a phrase
Dependent or dependents of a phrase
Specifier
Complements: To combine well with something, often something that has different qualities.
Use in a sentence- The plants are chosen to complement each other.
Note- Color theory/ term COMPLEMENT refers to the opposite hue on the standard color wheel, such as the pair- blue and orange. http://www.vimeo.com/16228411
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/complement Donna Hughes
Sentence- a sentence is a string of words that is grammatically complete with at least two components, a subject and a predicate. (Levine, Rowe, 113). Attached is a link describing sentences and provided a little information on the four different structures of sentences. http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/sentence-structure.html (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Predicate- The predicate of a sentence is a comment or assertion made about a topic. (Levine, Rowe, 113).
Meg and her dog {run up the hill every morning}. The Predicate is within the brackets. (Alison Winkler, June 15).
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Predicate-typically describes a property of the person or thing referred to by the subject, or describes a situation in which this person or thing plays some role. The predicate sentence needs to complement the subject because if you are missing the subject the predicate will not make any sense by itself. This website states a few examples of predicate.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/objects.htm By Araceli Rodriguez June 15
Determiner- A determiner is a word that is used before a noun to indicate whether the noun refers to something that is specific in general. (Levine, Rowe). Determiners are words like the, an, my, some. This link describes determiners and also provides a determiners quiz. http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-determiners.htm (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Noun phrase- A noun phrase compromises the noun and any associated modifiers. (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Dependent clause- A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but doesn’t express a complete thought. Dependent clauses cannot be a sentence. When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/598/01/ (Alison Winkler, June 15)
Noun phrase
Noun Phrase-in the book said that can function in a sentence as the subject, direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition. The book gives really good examples of noun phrases; Julian mailed a letter, Julian is a noun phrase and the subject of the sentence. Another example; is a Mary ate the hamburger. Mary is the subject of the sentence. This website shows some examples of noun phrases.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4HsJVTAxdo By Araceli Rodriguez June 15
Determiner
A determiner is a word used before a noun to indicate whether the noun refers to something that is specific or general. I found this nice website where it breaks down what this concept means and examples of its usage. Teaching grammar can be tricky so it’s always great to use outside sources to further exemplify what you are trying to teach. One way to incorporate the usage of this is to have students break off into pairs and try to find determiners in their peers’ paper!
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Verb phrase
A verb phrase is a type of head of a phrase which is what determines the syntactic or phrasal category of that phrase. A verb phrase will begin with a verb. Watch this video where a teacher has put sentences up for students to view, they are to circle the verb phrase. You can see how he uses this as a lesson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gESELR_dgQ This next website give some flash cards of verb phrases. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S13L3pc3Ttg&feature=related
By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Adjective phrase
Prepositional phrase
prepositional phrase- (Rowe and Levine)- a phrase headed by a preposition. It can function to modify a noun phrase or a verb phrase.The attached link is a great practice site for students to learn prepositional phrases http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/la-grammar.html (Kathy Sullivan)
Prepositional phrases is a phrase headed by a preposition, such as over, above, under, etc. Prepositional phrases include noun phrases. Examples of prepositional phrases are: into the store, above the stove, from Illinois. For more information on prepositional phrases, view this website: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/preposition.htm This site also contains exercises on grammar.
Tameka Caldwell June 15, 2011
Case
Case- Rowe & Levine defines Rowe as the function of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives within a sentence and the relationship of these words to the verbs and others words in a sentence. Wikipedia shows great examples some of them are; I kicked the ball, and john kicked me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_case By Araceli Rodriguez June 15
Lexical ambiguity-
Lexical ambiguity- refers to the situation in which a word or phrase can refer to more than one meaning.
Example- usually often consciously used to forms puns, such as-Fish are really smart. They are found in schools.
- Link-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXhrTe6RI-A&feature=related
Patty WagnerStructural ambiguity
Structural (or syntactic) ambiguity is where the words or phrases (constituents) of a sentence can be rearranged to form different meaning. Sometimes the intended meaning of the sentence can be overlooked for a different meaning. This website gives some examples of actual newspaper headlines that have structural ambiguity (may also show lexical or syntactic). This type of ambiguity can often lead to confusion or a humorous outcome. http://www.criticism.com/linguistics/types-of-ambiguity.php
By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Part-of-speech ambiguity
Lexicon
Lexicon- the Merriam Webster dictionary describes Lexicon as a vocabulary of a language, an individual speaker or group of speakers, or a subject. For example, I have my own vocabulary because I speak Spanish and I have all the words in that specific language. In this video shows how a lexicon is defined.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g_3VhFysy4 By Araceli Rodriguez June 15
Co-occurrence restriction
Phrase marker
A phrase marker is basically a representation, especially one in the form of a tree diagram, that of the constituent structure of a sentence. I found this cool website where it can translate phrase markers into whatever language you like. It’s really breaks down the process for you too.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Phrase marker- A tree diagram that specifies the function of each constituent of an utterance.
Example-The art student looked at a very beautiful painting. A phrase marker includes the former sentence and above those words is the diagram that identifies the parts of speech-see page 134 the example.
Link-http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/live/phrase-maker-tool/tool.html
Patty Wagner
Node
A node is a labeled point in a tree which represents a constituent of the sentence represented by the tree. You can't really make out the words in this diagram however it would be awesome to fill in the spaces with this structure because it looks really cool. Personally, I do not remember learning this concept in school or even in college, until now that is, however whenever I am introduced to a new concept I am always trying to think of ways to teach it to my students.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Phrase structure rules
Phrase structure rules: specify how constituents of an utterance are arranged and what constituents can occur as a part of other constituents (the hierarchical structure of a sentence). Sometimes drawing diagrams really help a student understand the format of a concept and how it needs to be arranged. This is why I looked into this powerpoint about phrase structures because it simplifies the concept along with the aid of visuals which can completely help a student understand.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Generative grammar
A generative grammar: is a finite set of rules that could hypothetically produce (generate) an infinite number of utterances. This is something Noam Chomsky analyzed with human language and how it is developed. This concept is rather interesting because it provokes one to question how these rules derived and how are we able to process it. What I did find is a video of this young lady who happens to disagree with Chomsky’s theory on generative grammar in which I thought her views were also interesting as well. I guess my suggestion is to see both sides and you determine which one you are on! Enjoy.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Recursion
Recursion is a property of language that allows a person to use the same rule multiple times in one sentence to create very long sentences and an infinite number of different sentences. I am giving the link to a video from an introduction to psychology class at Yale where a man comes in to give an introduction to the study of language. It’s a pretty long video but he discusses recursion in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf9tlbMckS0
By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Recursion- Allows one type of syntactic structure to be included inside another structure of the same type, such as a noun phrase, to create infinitely long sentences or an infinite number of different sentences.
Example- The boy that chased the dog that chased the cat that chased the squirrel that chased the bird that chased the bug.
Link-http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/patterns/recursion.html
Patty Wagner
Surface structure
Surface structure-An actual utterance that can be broken down by conventional methods of syntactic analysis.
Example-What the speaker is actually says
Link-http://www.textetc.com/theory/chomskian-linguistics.html
Patty Wagner
Deep structure
The deep structure of a sentence is the abstract level of a sentence that represents the basic meaning of a sentence. For example a surface structure would look something like this: This ball, I can hit. And the deep structure of the sentence would look like: I can hit this ball. Click this link to read a short article about Basic English Sentence Structure. This article will help to explain what the deep structure of a sentence is. It also gives examples of different ways to structure a sentence. http://www.speak-read-write.com/grammar1.html
By: Michelle Staszak June 18th
Deep structure- Refers to a highly abstract level of language that represents the basic meaning of a sentence.
Example-The human mind is like a software program designed to generate new sentences on demand.
Link-http://www.textetc.com/theory/chomskian-linguistics.html
Patty Wagner
Transformation rules
Verbal particles
A verbal particle is a member of a closed class of particles which co-occur with some verbs to form phrasal verbs. In some languages, verbal particles are identical to certain adpositions. Although there are many different types of participles, I found a website that showcases the different types with really easy examples. Considering there are many different types, including verbal, I think this concept would be a nice one to formulate a game on it for the students. For instance, posting phrases all over the room and breaking the students up into groups where they have to identify which phrase belongs in which category. Just a thought.
Nena Awad 6/15/11
Topicalization
Optional transformations
Obligatory transformations
Sentence - According to our text, a sentence is a string of words that is grammatically complete with at least two components, a subject and a predicate. While teaching my 6th grade students getting them to put their thoughts into sentences was difficult. Many of them did not even know what a subject of a sentence was so this is something I knew had to be taught to them (which actually helped many of them with their speaking). In order to do this I would start with basic sentences which would help the students to notice the subject and predicate. After they mastered the concept of a subject and predicate I noticed a difference not only in their writing but also in the way that they spoke with other people. http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=125046
Stephanie Signore - June 15
Subject - According to our textbook, the subject of a sentence is the topic of the sentence. In structuring sentences I have found that the more students write the better they will become. Before having students create sentences I model some of my own along with some that they may encounter in their text book. I then have the students create sentences of their own and underline (or color coordinate, which they love) the subject of their sentence.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://theteachingexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/s-p-example300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://theteachingexperience.com/sentence-fundamentals/&usg=__sfJsnlDmgkm7rbUALUvl20Wj-MQ=&h=78&w=300&sz=38&hl=en&start=41&zoom=0&tbnid=F4wjz6q6uYomcM:&tbnh=30&tbnw=116&ei=wkn5TePPLsLegQfJlZn8Cw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsubject%2Bof%2Ba%2Bsentence%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1209%26bih%3D557%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=140&page=3&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:41&tx=57&ty=28
Stephanie Signore - June 15
Dependent Clause -According to our text, a dependent clause has a subject and predicate but cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. It depends on an independent clause to make it complete.
- “Whoever makes the best speech will get my vote.” In this sentence the dependent clause would be “Whoever makes the best speech…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvk_jy4VxIE
Stephanie Signore - June 15
Noun phrase - According to our textbook, a noun phrase does the work of a noun. The example from the text states “Julian mailed a letter.” Julian serves as the noun phrase and subject. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iewdl2j4q4k
Stephanie Signore - June 15
Tree Diagram - According to the text, a tree diagram is an illustration in the form of an upside-down tree shape that shows the constituents of an utterance, with the most general at the top and more specific constituents at the bottom of the tree. While student teaching at the high school level I introduced the concept of tree diagrams. Most of the students enjoyed it because it was a breakdown of the different parts of the sentence which helped them clarify parts they did not understand. To help the students understand better I broke them into groups and they were to create a colorful large sized tree diagram on chart paper. This is a good method to use when teaching sentences parts and structure.http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.websters-dictionary-online.com/images/wiki/wikipedia/en/c/c2/Basic_english_syntax_tree.png&imgrefurl=http://www.websters-dictionary-online.com/definition/generative%2520grammar&usg=__2WT7h9AlKS9CzxiT_to2ZYGoOQY=&h=172&w=150&sz=2&hl=en&start=109&zoom=1&tbnid=SVgdmsvFT6rRrM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=96&ei=x0j5TZvXCsT1gAeywrDvCw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtree%2Bdiagram%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1209%26bih%3D557%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=94&page=6&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:109&tx=43&ty=17
Stephanie Signore - June 15
Sentence- According to Rowe and Levine, a sentence is a string of words that is grammatically compete with at least two components, a subject and a predicate. I’m not sure what to say for an example except for the fact that everyone, no matter what language, no matter how old, we all form some type of sentence. The following clip is a short video of a guy explaining what a sentence is and its components http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxsKgV2fFk8 .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Predicate- According to Rowe and Levine, a predicate of a sentences is a comment or assertion made about the topic. The following link is a worksheet from Super Teacher Worksheets. It is a PDF so if you need it for your classroom you are able to print it out, complete with an answer sheet http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/subjectpredicate/simple-predicate.pdf . The following link is a short video from School House Rock singing about subjects and predicates with the help of Mr. Morton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdUXxdmhIsw .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Dependent Clause- According to Rowe and Levine, a dependent clause has a subject and predicate but cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. It depends on an independent clause to make it complete. This excerpt is borrowed from OWL and explains, as well as gives an example of a dependent clause [When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.)] The following clip is of a teacher explaining what a dependent clause is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGw64ENglS0 .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Noun Phrase- According to Rowe and Levine, a noun phrase, often called a nominal phrase, does the work of a noun. It can function in a sentence as the subject, direct object, indirect object and object of a preposition. The following example is borrowed from UsingEnglish.com
[EG: John was late. ('John' is the noun phrase functioning as the subject of the verb.)
EG: The people that I saw coming in the building at nine o'clock have just left.
('The people ... nine o'clock' is a lengthy noun phrase, but it functions as the subject of the main verb 'have just left'.)].
The following clip is a short excerpt of a lesson taught on noun phrases, the full lesson can be found on the Mind Bites website http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4HsJVTAxdo .
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Determiner- According to Rowe and Levine, a determiner is a word used before a noun to indicate whether the noun refers to something that is specific or general. The following website lists many determiners as well as how they should be used in the English language
http://www.wordpower.ws/grammar/gramch20.html.
Courtney Margis 6.17.2011
Ch. 5
EX
Here is a simple quiz on simple sentences: **http://www.eslbee.com/cgi-bin/quiztest.cgi?simplecompoundorcomplex**
5. Syntax (from Ancient Greek σύνταξις "arrangement" from σύν syn, "together", and τάξις táxis, "an ordering") is the study of the principles and rules for constructing sentences in natural languages. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS1rpNTaPG4 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntax set|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntax ]]set of rules governing how words combine to form grammatical meanings
Noof Alshahin 6/22/11